HOYS 143cm M&M working hunter title for Woodbank Smokey Sam

On his final Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) appearance as a working hunter, Cheryl Mackintosh’s Connemara Woodbank Smokey Sam (Sammy) jumped his heart out to win the Thor Atkinson Steel Fabrications Ltd HOYS 143cm M&M working hunter sash with Scottish producer Kirsty Aird.

Kirsty and Sammy were winners here in 2018, the same year Kirsty took the overall M&M working hunter championship with Fell stallion Greenholme Emblem.

“I’m so looking forward to riding Sammy in the main arena championship later on as in 2018 I rode Emblem,” said Kirsty, who qualified Sammy for HOYS on home turf in Scotland at the Royal Highland Show back in June. “Funnily enough, 2018 was his first HOYS appearance as his worker, and this year will be his last. He’s going out on loan now to show as a veteran and to do some in-hand classes. It’s fantastic to finish at the top, and I have some exciting novices coming through.”

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Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.

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Kirsty and Sammy will be attempting to do the rare season double later on in the championship; earlier in the year they lifted the supreme M&M working hunter championship at the Royal International.

“He’s Mr Consistent,” said Kirsty. “He knows his job and he loves the crowd. He’s such a showman. Covid has made everything particularly tricky for Scottish riders due to the restrictions, so it’s been great for him to have a last spin at HOYS.

“Cheryl has owned him for many years and he’s always been allowed to be a real pony; he goes home for his winter holidays and has proper down time.”

There were six clears across the board in the HOYS 143cm M&M working hunter championship:

“There were some easy parts in the course but it was square and up-to-height in other parts, so they really tried to catch out from that point of view. I had to really ride the corners,” Kirsty explained.

Yesterday’s HOYS New Forest winner Lovelyhill Folklore, ridden by Vikki Smith, took second place for owner Penny Sutton.

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